Ruined Empire Setting by Anna Kreider, Renaming/Localization by Matt Sanchez 2014 Creative Commons, Share and Share Alike A Land in Turmoil: Two Empires at WarOnce the land held many nations, but recent decades have seen two great empires arise, each locked in a struggle to the death for supremacy. In the east lies the Imperial Dynasty of Azumi, the Red Steel Empire. Expanding ever westward, it absorbs all nations that lie in its path as it hungrily devours the resources of the land to fuel the engines of industry. In the west lies the Jahga Republic of Enlightened Peoples. Expanding eastward, it seeks to bring civilization and self-determination to nations that have not yet embraced the principles of enlightened rule that govern their empire. As it stands, only a handful of resisting nations remain even nominally independent, forming a scant buffer between these two implacably expanding forces. On Jahga’s doorstep lies the Rinden Kingdom, a provincial monarchy devoted mostly to farms and herd land. Fiercely jealous of its independence, its citizens struggle against an occupying force they have no hope of defeating. The Jahgan Republic's occupational forces crack down harshly on the rebels whenever they can, frustrated by the resistance of Rinden's citizens to the improvements that the republic has brought to the small, backward nation. The rebellion, however, seems undaunted in the face of monolithic opposition. To the Kingdom of Rinden's east, in the shadow of the Imperial Dynasty of Azumi, lies the Independent State of Horom. Horom is a wealthy trading nation, with cosmopolitan cities full of wonders from all over the world. Nominally ruled by the Grand Council of trade guilds that have ordered affairs in the small nation, the truth is that the Grand Council has no real authority. The Imperial Dynasty is the real power responsible for the day-to-day rule of Horom, with the Grand Council paying handsomely to be permitted to retain the illusion of sovereignty. In this way, the Grand Council retains its dignity and Azumi reaps considerable sums in wealth and resources as tribute. To the south of Rinden and Horom, bordering both Jahga and Azumi, lies the ruined nation of the Dangoro Trading State. It was here that the armies of the two great empires met for the first time. It was a conflict great and terrible, one that eclipsed in scale anything yet seen in the land. In the end, the cities of Dangoro were left in smoking ruins. Its rulers were dead, its people scattered, either fleeing to the wilderness or to Rinden or Horom as refugees, and only a handful of her citizens remained. The great armies have since retreated, not wanting to spill further blood over a useless wasteland. The land is no longer known as Dangoro, for the people of the region now call it Nil, the Desecrated Lands. The Priesthood has searched for anyone even marginally qualified to rule that would be willing to take on the regency of Nil, but as yet their search has been in vain. The Imperial Dynasty of Azumi: The Mechanical Realm
Ruined EmpireSetting by Anna Kreider, Renaming/Localization by Matt Sanchez
2014 Creative Commons, Share and Share Alike
A Land in Turmoil: Two Empires at War
Once the land held many nations, but recent decades have seen two great empires arise, each
locked in a struggle to the death for supremacy. In the east lies the Imperial Dynasty of Azumi,
the Red Steel Empire. Expanding ever westward, it absorbs all nations that lie in its path as it
hungrily devours the resources of the land to fuel the engines of industry. In the west lies the
Jahga Republic of Enlightened Peoples. Expanding eastward, it seeks to bring civilization and
self-determination to nations that have not yet embraced the principles of enlightened rule that
govern their empire. As it stands, only a handful of resisting nations remain even nominally
independent, forming a scant buffer between these two implacably expanding forces.
On Jahga’s doorstep lies the Rinden Kingdom, a provincial monarchy devoted mostly to farms
and herd land. Fiercely jealous of its independence, its citizens struggle against an occupying
force they have no hope of defeating. The Jahgan Republic's occupational forces crack down
harshly on the rebels whenever they can, frustrated by the resistance of Rinden's citizens to the
improvements that the republic has brought to the small, backward nation. The rebellion,
however, seems undaunted in the face of monolithic opposition.
To the Kingdom of Rinden's east, in the shadow of the Imperial Dynasty of Azumi, lies the
Independent State of Horom. Horom is a wealthy trading nation, with cosmopolitan cities full of
wonders from all over the world. Nominally ruled by the Grand Council of trade guilds that have
ordered affairs in the small nation, the truth is that the Grand Council has no real authority. The
Imperial Dynasty is the real power responsible for the day-to-day rule of Horom, with the Grand
Council paying handsomely to be permitted to retain the illusion of sovereignty. In this way, theGrand Council retains its dignity and Azumi reaps considerable sums in wealth and resources
as tribute.
To the south of Rinden and Horom, bordering both Jahga and Azumi, lies the ruined nation of the
Dangoro Trading State. It was here that the armies of the two great empires met for the first
time. It was a conflict great and terrible, one that eclipsed in scale anything yet seen in the land.
In the end, the cities of Dangoro were left in smoking ruins. Its rulers were dead, its people
scattered, either fleeing to the wilderness or to Rinden or Horom as refugees, and only a handful
of her citizens remained. The great armies have since retreated, not wanting to spill further blood
over a useless wasteland. The land is no longer known as Dangoro, for the people of the region
now call it Nil, the Desecrated Lands. The Priesthood has searched for anyone even marginallyqualified to rule that would be willing to take on the regency of Nil, but as yet their search has
been in vain.
The Imperial Dynasty of Azumi: The Mechanical Realm
Nervously, Kotaka pulled his collar up against a sudden chill that had nothing to do with the
weather, unable to shake the sudden feeling of being watched. Sternly, he admonished himself to
relax. Above all, it was important not to look suspicious. Schooling his face into a neutral
expression, Kotaka stuffed his hands into his pockets to hide the sudden trembling, resisting the
almost overwhelming urge to quicken his pace. Surely he was just being paranoid. The rumors
about what had happened to Zenta couldn’t be true, could they?
At last he reached the safety of his small shop. For several long moments, he fumbled with his
keys, cursing under his breath at fingers gone suddenly nerveless, before he managed to
unlock the door and slip, all but sobbing in relief as he closed the door behind him. His relief did
not last long, however. A soft chuckle sounded behind him, making his blood turn to ice. He
whirled to see a young woman wearing the unassuming robes of a minor civil servant sitting on
the stool behind the counter. She watched him calmly, her head in her hands and a half-smile
quirking her lips.
“Wh-who are you?” he stammered.
The woman smiled, widely - a smile that touched only her lips. Her eyes were steely and cold asshe removed a small, hand-bound leather volume from her pocket and placed it on the counter.
“My name is Maris, and I’m here to talk to you about your curiously unpatriotic choices in
reading material of late.”
The Imperial Dynasty of Azumi is an empire built around industry and technology. Imperial
society is largely urban and is highly organized, militaristic, and rigidly codified. The majority of
Imperials live in one of the empire’s many cities, which are methodically plotted out and
organized along simple grids. The standardized layout of Azumi’s cities makes it easy to find
your way around no matter where you might travel within the empire.
Because of the primacy of the military in imperial life, the majority of Azumi’s citizens are
employed in serving the needs of the army. Mechanized farms dot the countryside, with
complicated machines helping the farmers produce the massive quantities of food needed to
sustain Azumi’s vast armies. Those country-dwellers not employed in farming tend to be
laborers employed in the mines that produce red steel and soul gems for use in the creation of
munitions.
The cities, too, are highly mechanized and organized around supporting the needs of the military.
Large munitions factories draw on centralized urban populations to quickly produce the weapons
needed by the army. The cities are also where one may find the workshops used by the master
craftsmen who make the most advanced weaponry: Armours, soul gem weapons, and the like.Some of the largest cities, especially the capital, contain a small but thriving merchant and
artisan class, given over to supporting the elite circles of government, military, and the imperial
court.
Imperial citizens might not have much freedom to choose their own path, citizenship does come
with its own rewards. Azumi is a place of technological marvels not to be found in other lands,
this technology being a by-product of the perpetual weapons research that goes toward
maintaining the supremacy of the empire’s armed forces.
There is a group of elites within Imperial society that is never spoken of, a branch of government
that recruits equally from the ranks of the civil service and the military: the emperor’s intelligence
service. The military is left to conduct its own intelligence gathering against enemies outside the
empire; the emperor’s intelligence service exists solely to keep watch on Azumi’s citizens and
root out dissent and discontent. Left unchecked, such sentiments inevitably lead to widespreaddisaffection, which would only be a distraction from the empire’s larger goals of conquest.
Those individuals who are seen as potential problems often find themselves visited in the night
by representatives of the intelligence service and encouraged to direct their energies in more
positive, patriotic directions. Often one such visit is enough to remedy any such unsocial
tendencies, as most citizens of the empire would not willingly see their family and the livelihood
of those they care about threatened.
However, it is not unknown for incorrigible discontents and those attempting to actually foment
discord to disappear entirely. In such cases, the family and associates of the vanished are
universally tight-lipped. There are rumors, entirely baseless of course, that the army’s kongohki
are created largely from the ranks of these incorrigible dissenters. But even if that were the case,would it not be better to be purged of malcontent in service of something greater than oneself?
The Imperial Dynasty and the Priesthood
The Imperial Dynasty of Azumi is an authoritarian empire that stretches back centuries, its rule
passed down through the generations in an unbroken hereditary line. The emperor of Azumi is
more than just a mundane ruler and has been declared a kami by the priesthood, as have all of
his predecessors for the last two hundred years.
The cynically minded might point out that this is hardly surprising, given that the Priesthood has
enjoyed a very close alliance with Azumi’s rulers these past two centuries. With the alliancecomes a privileged place at court, and members of the Priesthood are some of the few
individuals outside the government that can be said to have any influence over the emperor. As
such, is it surprising that the Priesthood would be complicit in using their power to maintain the
status of the emperor as an object of worship?
Cynicism, however, is a dangerous sentiment to express in the Imperial Dynasty, and those who
harbor any skepticism as to the divinity of the emperor have learned by example to keep their
mouth shut. So the emperor maintains his status as an object of reverence, maintaining loyalty
among the subjects of the empire with a combination of fear, brutality, and worship.
On the surface, an outside observer might see the alliance between the Priesthood and theemperor as being a simple exchange of influence. But the truth of the matter is that Azumi has
tied its interests to those of the Priesthood far more closely than that. All of the technological
advances that have made Azumi’s recent expansion possible have been based on technology
given to the empire by the Priesthood. The vast armies of armours, kijin, and kongohki, not to
mention the technological marvels that power Azumi’s cities: none of it would have been
possible without the assistance and support of the Priesthood.
Which begs the question: is the Priesthood gaining more than just influence at court for its
magnanimity? Are they setting up the empire to grow so dependent on their assistance that the
emperor will become nothing more than a puppet who serves their interests? Do they feel
threatened by the widespread anti-Priesthood movement that has started to gain traction outside
of the Imperial Dynasty? Or does the empire have some hidden leverage over the Priesthood
that has been kept secret?
[sidebar] Concerning Succession
In theory, rule of the empire passes to the eldest child of the emperor. In practice, it's rare that
the eldest child would survive to inherent rule of the realm. They would have to be canny indeed
to survive the machinations of younger siblings and their political allies.
Emperors, as kami, are largely protected from such machinations. Even would-be assassins
are reluctant to accept contracts against kami; how do you kill a force of nature? The emperor’s
children do not enjoy such protections however, as the heir is not proclaimed a kami until after a
successful accession to the throne.
Personages
Emperor Amaberan
The emperor is a vigorous man well into his forties with several grown children, the eldest of
whom, Prince Koushin, is old enough to start chafing at the enforced inactivity of the imperial
court. The watchful eyes of his sire, however, have been enough to keep his ambitions in check.
Emperor Amaberan is famed for his ruthlessness and few would be surprised at the idea that he
might dispose of his own child if he felt his rule was threatened.
The emperor is also a notable recluse. The imperial court is always full of hangers-on, desperateto gain the favor of the emperor in some way, but Amaberan’s appearances at court are few and
far between. For the most part, he meets only with his closest retainers and a few chosen
advisors. When he does deign to appear at court, he almost never accepts audiences, holding
himself apart from his subjects.
It wasn’t always that way, however. When Emperor Amaberan was a young man, he was once
quite the socialite and took great delight in mingling with the members of his court. That changed
quite abruptly a decade or so into his rule, however. Some whisper that he suffered a terrible
accident, perhaps an incident while visiting the front, or perhaps an assassination attempt, that
left him terribly maimed and forced him to become a kijin. How else could one make sense of his
sudden secretiveness unless it was born from a desire to hide the scandalous fact that he is nolonger entirely human? Of course, these rumors are entirely impossible to verify.
Maris the Silence, head of the emperor’s intelligence service
Maris is surprisingly young to hold such an important post. Top in her class, she rose effortlessly
through the ranks of government, the machinations of the civil service hardly a challenge for her
keen and incisive mind. It was for that insight that she was recruited into the ranks of the
intelligence service, where her rise to power was similarly meteoric.
Despite Maris’s youth, there was no protest from the intelligence service when the former head
of the service tapped her as his successor, for Maris possesses both incredible charisma and a
true talent for inspiring the loyalty of those who serve her. That charisma has enabled to her to
extend the reach of her intelligence operations. It is said that she has a network of informantsthat penetrates every level of society, and that she is the reason for the recent increase in
mysterious disappearances of supposed malcontents. Whether this is the truth is hard to know,
but what is undoubtedly true is that having Maris the Silence take interest in you is usually not a
healthy thing.
Kenroh Karetsu
Kenroh Karetsu is one of the preeminent artisans in all of Azumi, famed for the beauty and
lethality of the armor that she makes to be the frame of the empire’s most deadly kongohki. A
true artist, Kenroh lives to create works of beauty in a land that values only brutality. It pains her,
though, to know the use that her creations are put to. She tries not to dwell upon the idea that her
work is responsible for trapping innocent souls and causing death and destruction. Such disloyalthoughts, if discerned, could see her powering one of her own creations if she is not careful.
Jahga Republic of Enlightened Peoples: The Namesake Realm
Dahj-en glanced at a nearby timepiece with impatience, scowling out at the night sky. The palace
gardens were particularly lovely this evening; the smell of fragrant flowers hung heavy in the air
and a gentle breeze helped dispel the last of the day’s heat. But the emperor-consort was too
distracted to enjoy the garden as he usually did, aggravated that the small window he had to
meet his contact was rapidly closing.
At last, he heard the sound of a soft footstep on the paving stones ahead of him just before a tall,slender man walked around the bend in the garden path. Dressed in the luxurious robes of the
indolent sycophants of the republican elite, the sword at his hip seemed entirely at odds with his
appearance. But as Dahj-en had come to discover, the kugutsu was a study in contradictions.
troubled and not easy to soothe.” Though his face remained serene, his voice dripped with
disdain at the euphemism.
Dahj-en waved a dismissing hand. “Never mind that. I haven’t much time.” Reaching into his
robes, he pulled out a small envelope, which he pressed into the kugutsu’s hands. “These travel
documents will see you safely anywhere you need to go within the republic. Though --” theemperor paused, raising one eyebrow. “You may want to dress less ostentatiously.”
melis bowed, slipping the envelope into a voluminous sleeve. “My emperor’s generosity is
boundless. Would that I had some way to thank you.”
“Thank me by not getting caught,” Dahj-en snapped more harshly than he meant to. Then,
glancing at the timepiece once more, he swore. “I must go,” he sighed. “Be well, melis.”
The kugutsu bowed once more, then disappeared back into the night as quietly as he had come.
The Jahga Republic of Enlightened Peoples indeed calls itself a republic rather than an empire,
though the truth is that in terms of territory and conquest there is little distinction to be drawn
between Jahga and rival Azumi. The real difference lies in outlook and governance.
Unlike the Imperial Dynasty of Azumi, the Jahga Republic relies on magic rather than technology
to run its vast empire . The western half of the continent is not as resource-rich as the east, and
for the most part Jahga has learned to do without the technological advances that are so relied
upon in Azumi. Necessity breeds creativity, and it is here in Jahga that Onmyoji and Buddhist
magicians have elevated Taoist magic almost to a science in its own right.
Another striking difference between the two empires is the freedoms that are granted to each of
its citizens. While citizens of Azumi are expected to know their place and serve without question,
Jahga is built on principles of individual freedom and self-governance. Loyalty to the republic is
expected of all Jahga's citizens, but for the most part citizens are free to choose their own path.
Jahga's rulers have relied on the creativity of its citizens in overcoming their lack of resources,and have passed laws to protect the freedoms that they see as essential to that creativity.
The last major point of difference lies in the structures of government. Instead of a supreme
emperor who rules his citizens like a god-king, Jahga's emperor is chosen by an elected Senate,
which holds power equal to the emperor's own. And while Azumi's emperors ultimately are a law
unto themselves, Jahga's emperor can be held to account by the Senate for any crimes they
commit. In the past, there have been emperors who were stripped of their position for abuses of
power, a concept that would surely baffle any citizen of Azumi.
Why then, if the Jahga Republic of Enlightened Peoples places such value on freedom and
self-determination, do they engage in wholesale conquest? Isn't such a policy at odds with theirprinciples? The two ideals seem hard to reconcile, but the fact is that their policy of expansion is
driven in large part by enlightened self-interest. Centuries ago, when the Priesthood stopped
enforcing peace between the nations, perpetual war became the normal state of affairs in the
land. Wars were fought for every reason imaginable: land, resources, money, cultural
differences, perceived insults – just to name a few. Jahga's past rulers grew tired of devoting so
much of their scarce resources to defending themselves at the expense of improving the lives of
Jahga's citizens.
With no end to the continuous petty wars in sight, Jahga's rulers decided that if peace was to
return to the land, they would have to be the ones to bring it. And so they made war on their
neighbors, conquering them one by one and absorbing them into the republic. As part of therepublic, the nations they conquered were prevented from warring with each other. Furthermore,
citizens of conquered nations were encouraged to speak their minds and contribute to the
governance of their lands. Because of this and the magical conveniences that the republic
brought to newly conquered lands, Jahga came to see itself as a bringer of enlightenment and
civilization to the lands that it conquered.
The Jahga Republic of Enlightened Peoples' emphasis on cultural tolerance was similarly born
of pragmatic concerns. By honoring the cultural diversity of the lands they absorbed, the
subjects of those conquered lands came to see themselves as loyal citizens of the republic,
rather than oppressed members of an occupied population. Honoring the freedom of new
citizens to live as they chose, so long as their choices did not harm the interests of the republic,
was vital to integrate a diverse patchwork of cultures into a unified whole.
Today, Jahga's rulers see their drive to expand their borders as being in the best interests ofeveryone. Where the Priesthood has failed, they will bring peace to the land by force. And, truth
be told, they have come to see the lands outside the republic as backward and uncivilized. They
see conquest as being as much a mission of enlightenment as it is a mission of peace. By
bringing the principles of freedom to the lands they conquer, they are liberating their neighbors
from tyranny. And if those that Jahga seeks to add to the empire try to resist their conquerors,
well, people can't always be trusted to make decisions that are in their own best interests.
Emperor Reius's Historic Alliance with the Oni
It was close to three hundred years ago when Reius was appointed to the post of emperor by the
Senate. At the time of his appointment, most of their country's scant resources were being
devoted to defending against their neighbors’ continual incursions. Emperor Reius knew thiscould not continue if Jahga was to survive, for the citizens were growing discontent at being left
to suffer while the army consumed all the food and wealth that they managed to produce. With
revolt by the general populace a very real possibility, action needed to be taken.
The emperor knew that Jahga could not hope to gain an advantage through arms alone; they
would never be able to out-produce their neighbors. So Reius did the unthinkable. He made an
alliance with the Oni, who were widely seen at the time as nothing more than backward savages,
granting them status as full citizens of the republic. Even more radically, his decree extended
that protection to any Oni who wished to come live in the republic. In exchange, the Oni who
came would be expected to use their powers in service of the republic, either by serving in the
army or in service to the government.
At the time, the decree seemed like madness. To secure this historic alliance, Emperor Reius
had to ban the construction of new Armours and outlaw the Oni hunt. Possession of a heart gem
was made a capital offense, as was any connection to the trade of Oni heart gems. And all so
that the republic could gain the service of a handful of unreliable, unstable Oni?
When the alliance was declared, there were those who wanted Emperor Reius stripped of his
position and executed for treason. Without Armours, how could Jahga hope to compete on
effective terms with neighboring armies? Weren't they just making themselves a target? The
emperor was quickly vindicated, however, when it became quickly apparent how effective Oni
Resonance was when combined with Onmyojutsu.
Nor was there a shortage of willing volunteers wishing to sign on for military service. When it
became clear that the Jahga Republic meant to honor its promise to outlaw the Oni hunt, Oni
migrants flooded into the country, most very eager to volunteer for the chance to fight against the
armies who had hunted them. Before long, Jahga had gone from a minor power to a major
All of this helped serve as a base for the beginnings of Jahga’s policy of expansionism, which is
which helped gain the Oni acceptance as valued citizens. The resources that were captured
helped to improve the lives of Jahga's civilians, which went a long way to helping overcome old
prejudices. The dedication of the Oni migrants to the republic and the very real difference that
dedication made in the lives of the average citizen ultimately earned them acceptance by Jahga
society as a whole.
These days, the population of Oni within the republic have increased such that direct service to
the realm is no longer mandatory. Indeed, Jahga's reliance on magic has made the Oni
something of a privileged class in Jahgan society; their inborn magical abilities ensure are
always highly in demand by all segments of society. However, the majority of Jahgan Oni still do
choose to serve either in the military or as part of the government. There are perhaps no more
devoted citizens than the Oni, who want nothing more than for the republic to conquer the entire
land and put an end to the Oni hunt once and for all.
[Sidebar] The Phoenix Sect: Fomenting Discontent Against the Priesthood
The various Buddhist factions are very popular in the Jahga Republic and enjoy near universaladherence. With their emphasis on saving the people of the land, the Phoenix sect is especially
popular, as they are seen as very much in sympathy with the republic's goals of being a force for
civilization and unity.
Jahga's citizens still honor the Priesthood and adhere to its practices in their daily lives, but the
Shinto priests themselves are seen in an increasingly negative light because of the Priesthood’s
refusal to intervene directly to stop war between the nations. This opinion has only increased
since the marriage of the empress to the new emperor-consort, as he is an ardent supporter of
the Phoenix sect. Many people have come to see serving the republic, or even the Buddhist
temples, as a more worthy pursuit than serving the Priesthood, which has gained a public
reputation of being self-serving, old-fashioned, and somewhat corrupt.
Still, as unpopular as the Priesthood and its policies may be, Jahga’s Senate is careful never to
make any policies that might look like official disapproval of the Priesthood and its methods. They
are ever conscious of the support that the Priesthood enjoys in rivaling Azumi and don’t want to
push the Priesthood into actively supporting Azumi’s domination over the Jahga Republic.
[Sidebar] Concerning the Republic’s Position on Kugutsu
Many of the most famous kugutsu makers call Jahga their home; as a place that values magic,
the peculiar skills of the kugutsu are often highly in demand. There is also very little patience for
kugutsu makers in Azumi, where it is seen as a waste of time and resources to spend yearscrafting something which might decide that it doesn’t wish to comply with its owners wishes as
to how it is to be used. In Azumi, kugutsu are seen much the same way as sculptures - beautiful,
restful, but ultimately useless.
There are, however, a number of citizens in Jahga who have never cared for the practices
governing kugutsu. Citizens of the republic are taught to value personal freedoms, and the lot of
the kugutsu - being owned by a person who may or may not choose to dictate how you are to
live your life - seems perilously close to slavery. Even if the kugutsu are made, they are still alive,
and that would tend to imply that they deserve some choice in their lives.
Recently, there have been attempts backed by representatives of the Oni and the Buddhist sects
to pass a law mandating that the practice of owning kugutsu be ended. Given that the Senate is
comprised of some of the most wealthy and influential members of the republic, in other wordsthose most likely to patronize the kugutsu makers, the resulting law that wound up passing the
Senate was no more than a token measure. The new law dictated that all kugutsu were to
receive salaries for their service to their “employers”, though no provisions were made in the law
for those kugutsu that might wish to leave their “employment” entirely.
Still, there has been widespread protest among the wealthier elements of Jahgan society to even
this watered down measure. The kugutsu makers have always been unhappy about this change
in the law; the prices that they can command have been diminished by the new expense
introduced by this law. The patrons who commission the kugutsu are no longer willing to pay top
dollar for something that has become a considerable ongoing expense.
Personages
Empress Reina
The empress is the youngest to have ascended to the post in almost two centuries, and is
almost universally beloved by the people of Jahga. As a highly popular Senator, Reina’s canny
grasp of politics and genuine compassion for Jahga’s citizens were highly intriguing to the
previous emperor. In the old emperor’s last years, he took the young Senator under his wing,
ensuring that all knew that she had his favor.
Consequently, upon the emperor’s death, few were surprised when Reina was appointed as the
new empress almost unanimously by the Senate. She was already a figure much beloved by thepublic, and the emperor’s preferences regarding succession assuaged the doubts of those in
the Senate who were reluctant to confirm one so young to such an important post.
In the ten years since her appointment, Empress Reina has managed to retain much of her
idealism, though it has been tempered by the trying reality of ruling an empire as vast as the
republic. Reina still cares deeply about the lives of her people, but has come to accept that
occasional sacrifices have to be made for the greater good of the republic. Still, she has never
let herself become complacent about the decisions made in the interest of the republic. The
policies that have been pursued in the occupation of newly conquered provinces like Rinden are
something that still trouble the young empress greatly, although she trusts her loyal advisors
when they tell her that more lax policies would simply lead to more bloodshed.
More than anything, Reina dreams of seeing peace in her lifetime. Having lived with the reality of
war her entire life, she wants nothing more than to see a generation that can live their lives free
from the spectre of war. It is this dream that keeps her fervently committed to conquering the
rest of the continent. It is a task that she does not know if she has the strength to complete, but
she is determined to give everything she has to the effort in the name of peace for all peoples.
Dahj-en and Reina were wed not long after she was appointed empress. Their wedding was an
occasion for much celebration, not only because of the people’s love for their empress, but also
because this made Dahj-en the first emperor-consort of the republic who was also an Oni.
Originally a refugee who fled to the republic as a small child to escape the Oni hunt, Dahj-envolunteered for service in the republican guard. His dedicated service and unusual prowess with
Oni Resonance saw him rise to prominence as commander of the Oni magicians serving in the
army.
It was Reina who proposed marriage, with the marriage itself being handled almost like a
business transaction. The marriage was meant to increase cultural unity with the Oni and add an
additional layer of protection for the empress; who better to protect the empress than a powerful
magician versed in combat sorcery? Neither of them anticipated that they would become
sincerely attached to one another after the marriage was completed.
The empress' marriage has been a mixed blessing as far as the Senate is concerned. The
Senate supported the marriage proposal, but having their influence over the young Empressundermined was not part of their plans. Dahj-en’s sometimes revolutionary views have also
come as a rude surprise, especially with regard to the legal status of kugutsu within the republic.
The Emperor-Consort’s ardent devotion to the Phoenix Sect and public criticism of the
Priesthood has also made things difficult for the Senate, which continues to try to walk a middle
path between subservience to the Priesthood and outright rejection of policies and practices.
Myo-on - Abbess of the Phoenix Sect monks
Myo-on is a matronly looking lady who has led the monks of Jahga’s Phoenix Sect for many
years. Those foolish enough to be put off their guard by her kindly appearance have discovered
to their regret that her cheerful demeanor belies a will of tempered steel.
Truly committed to the Phoenix Sect’s mission of saving the people, Myo-on has been behind a
long and subtle campaign to discredit the Priesthood in the eyes of the republic’s citizens. It is
her eventual goal to see the republic throw off the influence of the Priesthood entirely. In her view
the republican values of tolerance and freedom are inherently at odds with the greedy,
self-serving nature of the Priesthood and its agents. The republic cannot be said to be truly
serving its citizens so long as they continue to kowtow to the Priesthood and its agents.
The Rinden Kingdom: A Provincial Monarchy Under Occupation
Lokus Regona glanced around warily, scowling in suspicion at the people who walked past.
Despite the fact that it was broad daylight in the middle of the crowded marketplace, she had
learned that these mad provincials would take any opportunity for an ambush, no matter how
foolish. As commander of the republican garrisons, she didn’t have to give herself a regular
patrol rotation. But Lokus Regona had never been the type of commander who wasn’t willing to
put herself in harm’s way along with the soldiers under her command.
An old woman walking the opposite direction paused to give them a black scowl before hurrying
off and all of a sudden she felt an overwhelming sense of wrongness. Barking a curt command
to the other three guards on patrol with her, she stopped, looking around for anything out of
place, just in time to spot a Shinobi smoke bomb sail over the top of a nearby stall and land at
their feet.
The Kingdom of Rinden is a nation seen as largely rural and unsophisticated by its neighbors. A
large portion of its lands are rocky hills suitable only for herding, with the rest of its lands being
devoted to farming. There are only a handful of cities possessing anything resembling
civilization, and only the capital is anything more than a glorified trading market for farmers and
herders to sell their wares.
Previous to the invasion by Jahgan forces, Rinden had remained largely neutral in the perpetual
conflicts that raged among the other nations of the land. They maintained a small army, large
enough to defend against raiders and mobilize in the event of emergencies, but for the large part
they kept a policy of neutrality, trusting to the fact that there wasn’t much to conquer aside from
farmland to keep them safe from invasion. It was a policy that was successful until Jahga’sarmies showed up on their doorstep.
The war with the Rinden Kingdom has officially been over for nearly two years, but the republican
troops of Jahga know better than to make any strong declarations of victory. The kingdom is still
under heavy occupation, and looks to remain that way for quite some time to come. There has
been reluctance to adopt the improvements that Jahga has brought to Rinden and outright
resistance to accepting the social changes that have come with being subjects of the republic.
Despite the imperial decree that all Oni are to remain unmolested, they are not safe outside of
the capital, and even then, Oni living in the capital often find themselves the target of hostility and
harassment.
The Invasion, Occupation, and Resistance that Followed
The invasion was brief but bloody, with many casualties among the Rinden Kingdom’s
defenders, who were scarcely a match for the superior forces at the Jahga Republic's
command. The fighting was especially hard during the invasion of the capital, which took several
weeks of house-to-house fighting for the republican army to subdue completely. It left the capital
badly damaged, its buildings in a state of disrepair and its surviving citizens wounded and badly
traumatized.
The loss felt most keenly by citizens of the kingdom, however, was the loss of their rulers: King
Keiharu and Queen Kiseri. Determined not to ask anything of their subjects that they were notwilling to face themselves, the King and Queen took up arms against the invading army in
defense of the palace. They succeeded in repelling the invaders for a time, but the final push
proved too much to resist and devastated much of the palace. The King and Queen were killed,
and their two daughters taken by force into the custody of the republican army. The resistance
didn’t last long after that. Their leadership broken, Rinden’s army held out another week before
Two years later, rebuilding efforts continue, aided in large part by the occupying republican
forces. Governor Feigon Marown, a loyal republican and lifelong diplomat, now governs affairs in
Rinden, managing rebuilding efforts and commanding the republican garrisons stationed in and
around the capital.
The Jahga Republic's forces are hardly new to dealing with resistance in the wake of conquest,and Rinden isn’t the first nation they have conquered that has been resistant to the idea of
abandoning their national identity. None of the nations conquered by Jahga in recent decades,
though, have been as intransigent as Rinden.
In rebuilding the damaged and destroyed sections of the capital, the Governor has been
scrupulous about rebuilding to leave things better than they were in both form and function. The
republic has also brought many improvements to the daily lives of Rinden’s citizens, including
technological advances and magical conveniences that all citizens of the republic are entitled to
access. But willingness to adopt these advances has been fairly limited as yet, an attitude which
perplexes the occupying republican forces.
Resistance to an occupying force and new form of government is something that the republic isused to dealing with, something they are practiced in responding to. Resistance to conveniences
that improve daily life is something that Feigon Marown finds illogical and endlessly frustrating.
Jahga has always succeeded in integrating the nations it conquered by demonstrating that it
cared for the lives of its new citizens and seeking to improve their situation. But how can they
hope to achieve this desired integration when their newest subjects reject even the most simple
conveniences, just because they originated outside Rinden?
Given the unusually obdurate nature of Rinden’s populace, it is no surprise that the republican
garrisons still face widespread armed resistance by multiple underground resistance groups.
Surprisingly well-organized, these groups operate both in the capital and out in the countryside
using a variety of guerilla tactics. Patrols often find themselves ambushed, shipments from therepublic destined for garrison troops get stolen or destroyed, and even rebuilding efforts in and
around the capital have been affected by sabotage.
Having to be continually on guard against an actively hostile populace has put the republican
garrisons on edge. The Governor has attempted to keep a tight rein on the soldiers who make up
the occupying force, but the army is often swift and decisive in dealing with those it suspects of
being members of the resistance, employing harsh and sometimes brutal punishments in the
hope of deterring other potential resistance members from acting against republican interests.
Governor Feigon Marown has reluctantly condoned these harsh tactics, as the tactics employed
by resistance groups have often placed Rinden’s citizens at as much risk as the occupyingforces. Much as the Governor would wish to avoid using tactics that might incur the anger of
Rinden’s populace, he is obligated to make the welfare of his troops and the safety of the
civilians he governs his first priority. Still, he intervenes when he can on behalf of those the army
takes into custody to push for more lenient punishment, something which frustrates the garrison
The Rinden Kingdom’s two former heirs, still young girls, have been made wards of the republic.
They remain under heavy guard at the palace, watched over by a governess and a profusion of
tutors, all of whom have been hired to instill loyalty to the republic in their young charges.
Governor Feigon Marown has announced that, should everything proceed according to plan, rule
of Rinden will be handed over to the former princesses when they are of age - as a loyalprovince of the republic of course.
Speculation as to how the republic intends to ensure the loyalty of Princesses Nakesha and
Lokora has run rampant among the citizens of the capital. Does the republic intend to hire
Shinobi to watch over them to ensure their cooperation? Others suggest that the Governor has
hired kugutsu to brainwash the two princesses through nightly use of their dream manipulation.
The most commonly held belief, however, is that Feigon Marown has replaced Princess
Nakesha and Lokora with kugutsu who have taken their place and will have no choice but to act
in accordance with the wishes of the republic.
It is this last rumor that Governor Feigon Marown has found most baffling and has done his
utmost to quash outright. How could anyone believe that he would condone of disposing of theyoung princesses merely because it might be politically expedient to do so? Still, despite his
attempts at transparency aimed at quashing these rumors, the rumors have proved to be
remarkably persistent.
Personages
Governor Feigon Marown
The republican governor is an old man with many decades of loyal and distinguished service to
the empire. Chosen for the role primarily for his skills in diplomacy, he has had to draw on
everything he has learned throughout his career to try to make any sort of headway withintegrating the newest addition to the republic.
Rinden’s resistance to republican ideals has driven Feigon Marown nearly to despair, for he is a
man who truly believes in the aims of the republic and that their mission of conquest is ultimately
in the best interests of all of the peoples of the land. He is a man with a genuinely caring heart
and takes his obligation to improve the lives of those he governs very seriously. As such, he is
tortured by the fact that he has allowed violent crackdowns to take place against resistance
leaders - even though he is doing his best to protect the safety of Rinden’s populace and
republican troops alike. But while this may have tested his resolve, it has not broken it. He is
determined to succeed in what is doubtless the most difficult assignment he has ever faced in
his long service to the republic.
Maruihana, leader of the resistance and royalty in hiding
Maruihana was Queen Kiseri’s younger sister and, with the two young princesses in the custody
of the republic, is nominally the next in line to the throne. After the fall of the palace and the
capture of the princesses, Maruihana went into hiding for a brief time so as to avoid capture
herself. But it soon became apparent that Rinden’s nascent resistance would need a leader.
Determined not to let the republican forces take control without a fight, she stepped forward into
that role.
Maruihana is still young, and very angry about the death of her sister. That anger has made her
brash, but a brilliant tactical mind has enabled her to make do with scant resources and turn a
seemingly insurmountable position to their advantage. The republican forces can’t watch all ofRinden’s citizens at once, a fact she takes ruthless advantage of.
Her biggest success to date has been hiring a large number of Shinobi to aid in the resistance
effort, using profits from large-scale smuggling operations to pay for their services. With the
assistance of these Shinobi, the resistance has been able to step up its use of guerilla tactics
against republican forces. She knows that use of these tactics will only lead to more violence,
but Maruihana is committed to a future where the citizens of the Rinden Kingdom can live their
lives as they please. More importantly, she wants her young nieces to be able to live their own
lives, free of the influence of the republic.
Lokus Regona, Commander of the Republican Garrison
Lokus Regona is the Commander of the soldiers stationed in the republican garrison, and as
such the unenviable task of leading the occupying force falls to her. The hardened veteran of
many a campaign, she would much rather be on an active battlefield than engaged in this sort of
long, slow stalemate, preferring to battle an enemy she can see rather than one that refuses to
stand and fight. Most especially, she has grown frustrated with the Governor and his idealism
and makes continual appeals to be allowed to be more forceful in putting down resistance
activity when it is uncovered.
She has learned from hard experience that permissiveness with such violent radicals only
encourages further violence. If the republic is to succeed in its mission, Lokus Regona is of the
firm belief that the populace needs to learn their place as citizens of the republic. Only when theyaccept their fate will they begin contributing to the greater good of the republic as a whole. Still,
Lokus Regona is nothing if not loyal and will continue to follow orders, even if she thinks the
orders are misguided. Much as she wishes to have had free reign to deal with the rebels, the
task of governing the newly minted republican province is hardly one she wishes to take on
herself.
The Independent State of Horom: Cosmopolitan Trading Nation andVassal State
Ken the Black Wind put on one last burst of speed, vaulting easily off the roof and over the wall,
smiling at the sound of cursing in the street below. He landed lightly on his feet next to a garbage pile at the end of the filthy alley, retrieving the rags that he had stowed there for safe-keeping. It
was the work of a moment to throw the rags on over his thieves’ garb, with some mud from the
gutters rubbed into his hair for verisimilitude. Then, checking one last time to ensure that the
parcel was securely hidden, he slipped out of the alley into the narrow streets of the necropolis.
It didn’t take long for his pursuers to catch up. The loud clanking of the heavy armor gave him
plenty of warning as the guards shoved their way through the narrow streets of the necropolis. By
then he was already on his usual corner, wooden bowl clutched tightly in one hand as he stared
fixedly off into space in the guise of a blind beggar.
One of the guards paused, staring intently at Ken. “Here, isn’t that-”
Another guard, one whom Ken recognized from many previous encounters, grunted in disgust.“That’s just Old Naru,” he snapped. “Now come on. He went this way.”
Behind him, the lame beggar who lent Ken his corner on such occasions, chuckled to himself as
he hobbled around the corner, leaning heavily on an old wooden crutch. Ken grinned and flipped
the old man a gold coin before slipping off into the crowds once more.
The Independent State of Horom is a country built on trade. Its many ports make it a popular
destination for merchants and traders, and over the centuries it has developed a reputation for
being a place where one can acquire just about anything one desires. Goods from all over the
world wind up in the markets of Horom - technology and weapons from Azumi, works of art and
magic from Jahga, livestock and breeding stock from Rinden, just to name a few.
The capital city, home to the largest markets, is a city beautiful beyond imagining, with art and
architecture to rival even that found in the republican capital of Jahga. The city itself bustles with
all manners of visitors that would surely overwhelm anyone more accustomed to life in the rural
provinces. It is not unusual to see merchants brush elbows with paupers, to see samurai and
Annelidists prowl the markets alongside Kijin and kugutsu. The most supreme law in Horom is
the law of the marketplace, and the neutrality of Horom’s markets is recognized even by the
most powerful.
The Occupation of Horom
The Independent State of Horom has never been one of the foremost military powers of the land,
despite its status as an influential power in its own right. Horom’s power was built on trade and
gold, preferring to buy off its enemies rather than fight them. The encroachment caused by the
determined expansion of the Imperial Dynasty of Azumi was something new in its history,
something they had never faced before - an enemy with no price to be met.
Once Horom’s leaders realized that their foe could not be bought off, the war that was fought
was brief, largely bloodless, and almost entirely for show. Negotiations were entered nearly as
soon as the fighting began to permit the rulers of Horom to save as much face with their people
as possible and to permit them to curtail a costly and profit-destroying war.
Before the invasion, Horom was ruled by a Grand Council of trade guilds. This system was
nominally democratic in that each guild was permitted to elect its own guild master from within
the ranks of its trades people. In practice, though, the system was hopelessly corrupt, favoring
the richest over those with the best interests of the average citizen at heart. The Grand Council
concerned itself only with rule of the rich by the rich, and those who were less monetarily
advantaged were left to eke out a meager existence with little thought or concern from their
rulers. As a result, there is a large underclass of peasants to be found in each city, kept in their
proper place out of sight of the patrons of the markets by the few soldiers in Horom’s standing
army.
Since Horom’s surrender to the Imperial invaders, things have been different for the upper class.
Where once the rich elite of the trade guilds controlled every decision of import, these days the
Grand Council exists solely to rubber stamp the decisions made by their imperial overlords. TheCouncil exists now to permit Horom to maintain the illusion of independence as a “valued ally” of
the empire. But decisions regarding policy in Horom are now based entirely on what best serves
the interests of the empire. This represents an interesting reversal for the Grand Council - which
is not much accustomed to not getting their own way.
Still, despite the loss of influence, there is no real resistance from the citizens of Horom to
imperial rule. The upper classes are mostly content to have avoided a costly war they could
never have hoped to win, a war that would have frightened people away from their ports and
ruined profits. Meanwhile, the poor are living too hard scrabble an existence to care about the
affairs of the rich. And those few in the middle have only to look to Rinden as an example of what
happens to those who try to go against an entire empire. The citizens of Horom are resigned to
their fate, for the most part, and have accepted their role as a vassal state of the empire.
[Sidebar] The Plight of the Underclass
Some among the underclass in Horom were hopeful that capitulation to their new imperial rulers
would improve things for the poor. After all, even the most impoverished of Imperial citizens can
be assured a source of income and a roof over their head so long as they serve the empire with
loyalty and efficiency.
This hope, unfortunately, has not borne out. The imperials have so far been content to accept the
tributes paid them by Horom’s upper class and to overlook the social inequalities, citing empty
platitudes about the need for cultural tolerance. So long as Horom’s rich and powerful continue toline the pockets of the empire, the empire is content to continue to allow the upper class to
dominate the poor underclass.
Many of the poorest of Horomii society have taken up residence in the capital’s necropolis, the
vast city of tombs and mausoleums constructed by the wealthiest Horomii elite to honor their
dead. The city guard make periodic forays into the necropolis to clear out the squatters, but they
always return, having little choice in where to go.
Personages
Lina Tanato - Head of the merchants guild
In the Independent State of Horom, money is power, and prior to the invasion, Lina was the most
powerful member of the Grand Council. A shrewd and canny businesswoman, she owned an
estate that rivaled the grandeur of the Grand Council building itself.
These days, money doesn’t mean as much as it used to, and Lina’s influence has largely
vanished. This is a fact that she keenly regrets. Still, she is a pragmatist and continues to make
the required payments to the empire; she knows these payments are ultimately cheaper than the
cost that rebellion would exact. But Lina does worry that becoming part of Azumi will spell the
end for Horom’s thriving guild of artists and artisans, of which she has always been a prominent
patron. To her mind, there is little point in wealth if one does not use that wealth to enjoy things of
beauty. It worries her that this is a viewpoint that the imperials do not seem to understand at all.
Ken the Black Wind, Head of the Thieves’ Guild
The Thieves’ Guild has been around nearly as long as Horom itself, though the name is mostly a
joke - they take no part in the doings of the Grand Council. Rather, they exist to prey on the
wealthy and elite by divesting them of some of their excess wealth.
Ken the Black Wind is the current leader of the Thieves’ Guild, and has held the post longer than
any other in recent memory. The life of a thief is a hazardous one, and it has certainly left Ken
marked. His scarred, often scowling visage is a familiar sight to the denizens of the necropolis.
But beneath that rough exterior lies a genuine commitment to the needy and destitute.
The other members of the guild are free to do with their takings as they see fit; it is not unheardof for an exceedingly daring thief to amass enough wealth to quit the guild altogether and
establish a comfortable new life as one of Horom’s middle class. But Ken himself rarely keeps
more than a very small portion of his profits, giving the rest to care for those too old and sick to
earn a living for themselves. As a result, though the reward on the Black Wind’s head is many
thousands of gold, there is not a soul among the necropolis that would ever consider redeeming
that reward.
Nil: The Desolate Waste
It had been a nerve-wracking journey through the city until she had managed to slip through the
front lines, though Metasanduro didn’t breathe easy until she was well away from the cityoutskirts. Wearing her robes and mask of office, she was careful to stick to the middle of the
road - wanting to travel openly. While the armies of Jahga and Azumi might have no qualms
about civilians getting caught in the crossfire, Agents of the Priesthood still commanded the
respect they deserved.
Or at least they did most of the time. Of late, the fighting had been coming closer to the grand
shrine than Metasanduro and her fellow Agents liked. There was also the matter of supplies,
which were hard for anyone to acquire in a city under siege. When the call had come for
volunteers to travel to shrines outside the city to request badly needed food and medicines,
Metasanduro had volunteered, eager for the chance to get away from the fighting for a few days.
A sudden flash of light stopped her in her tracks. Blinding in its intensity, she could almost feel
the pressure of the light against her skin. Before she could react, the ground bucked underneath
her, throwing her off her feet as the air rushed around her with a terrible roaring sound almost
She had no idea how long she lay in the road, stunned, before she recovered her senses
sufficiently to stagger to her feet, where she stood staring in disbelief. The city was gone.
Once a proud and rich trading empire in its own right, Nil is now nothing more than a desolate
shell of its former self, a cautionary tale that has made Jahga and Azumi hesitant to push towarda more decisive and final conflict in their mutual war of expansion.
It was in the Dangoro Trading State that Azumi’s imperial army and Jahga’s republican guard
met on the field of battle for the first time, each army determined that they would conquer
Dangoro as their own. The fighting was fiercer than anything yet seen in the conflicts of
expansion the two powers had engaged in, and the casualties were terrible. And then something
terrible happened, a cataclysm that utterly destroyed Dangoro’s capital city and decimated the
invading forces of the two great powers.
To this day, there are so many conflicting reports of the event that it’s hard to say for sure what
actually happened. Some say that it was the work of a legendarily powerful shiki. Others blame
the Annelidists. Still others claim that the destruction was wrought by the pilots of a Great Armorbecoming Asura. Most think that it was some combination of factors, some fatal reaction of
magic and technology that caused the devastation.
Whatever the cause, the damage has been done. The capital city remains all but destroyed, with
the center of the city a giant crater. Only the slums around the outskirts remain, their ruined
buildings barely standing. The countryside, including much of the farmland, was just as
scorched in the fighting, leading to widespread famine. This once regarded domain is now
simply called Nil, the Desecrated Lands.
The remnants of both armies have withdrawn, neither quite willing to commit further resources
for fighting control of what now remains. This has left Nil effectively ungoverned, as the country’sentire government was destroyed in the cataclysm. Many of the survivors have emigrated to
other lands as refugees. Those who stay are the truly desperate, those searching for something
or someone lost in the cataclysm, or those determined to rebuild what was lost in the brief war.
Among those who remained, many have become scavengers. Mostly working in the capital and
surrounding villages, they pick through the ruins looking for valuables that they can sell. Left
without a means of supporting themselves, others have turned to banditry, terrorizing outlying
villages. Others who stayed behind have devoted themselves to rebuilding what was lost,
restarting farms and rebuilding businesses, but the obstacles to restoration are so vast that
there are few who feel up to the challenge.
Nil’s plight has attracted a few outsiders, mostly the very bold and enterprising. A handful of
merchants have come from Horom, looking to capitalize on the desperation of survivors, though
profits have been hard to realize in an environment where people are struggling just to survive.
[Sidebar] A Reluctant Ruler Amidst Chaos
Since the departure of the two armies, the Priesthood has been desperately searching for
someone, anyone, even marginally qualified to rule to take up the role of Nil’s regent. Not
surprisingly, even the most ambitious of power-seekers doesn’t find the prospect of a nation in
ruins that has fallen into anarchy the most attractive of prospects - especially not when any
degree of success in rebuilding the shattered country would only make Nil susceptible to
renewed invasion. Since no one has stepped forward to accept the role, the Priesthood has
reluctantly become what passes for authority in those few areas where settlements remain, butlarge portions of the country remain lawless wastes.
In an effort to attempt to restore at least a small portion of order, the Priesthood has drawn upon
its resources to hire ronin as part of a nascent samurai corps to combat the growing bandit
threat. There have been many samurai that have flocked to the Desecrated Lands for the
opportunity for secure employment. Just as many of the ronin who have come are eager for a
chance to use their skills in service of something other than mindless conquest. Still, the
Priesthood has done their best to keep the samurai they hire at arm's length, viewing them as a
potentially unstable resources, which has not done much to inspire loyalty in the forces they
have hired.
The Influx of Kugutsu Refugees
Refugees have fled from the Desecrated Lands to surrounding lands in great waves since the
cataclysm, but despite the devastation there has also been a small influx of refugees that never
could have been anticipated. Since the disappointing failure of Jahga’s senate to pass
meaningful reform regarding the legal status of kugutsu, Kugutsu from Jahga have been stealing
across the border to join a small but growing enclave of their brethren who want to be free from
their lives of indentured servitude. Though the influx of kugutsu refugees was small at first, the
numbers of refugees have been growing as word spreads of the existence of a safe haven.
The kugutsu have established several small settlements in the wilds of Nil, taking advantage of
the lack of a government to protect them from organized reprisals. The bandits that roam thewilds pose a far more immediate threat, but the skills of those trained as sword masters and
body guards have been sufficient to prevent any depredations.
Of course, kugutsu caught fleeing their service can expect extremely harsh reprisals. The law of
the republic does nothing to protect kugutsu who attempt to leave their employment, and the
nobles who own kugutsu are desperate to set precedent to protect their investment.
The other growing threat to the kugutsu enclaves is the growing samurai corps hired by the
Priesthood to restore order to the lawless wastes. Some samurai, especially those ronin who
have fallen into poverty, are sympathetic with the plight of the kugutsu. There are just as many
who view the refugees with suspicion and would see the kugutsu shipped back to their “rightfulowners”. As such, the samurai can be very inconsistent in their dealings with the kugutsu and
the refugees have learned to avoid attracting their attention as much as possible. The last thing
they want is for the powerful Priesthood to decide that they are a threat that needs elimination.
Still, there is one thing that all of the refugees can agree on. Even an uncertain fate in Nil, where
they can be their own masters, is preferable to a life of security without freedom in the Jahga
Metasanduro was formerly a mid-level Shinto agent assigned to serve one of the capital’s manyshrines. It was nothing more than sheer luck that found her outside the shrine the last day of the
invasion. She found herself watching in horror as her shrine and those she had served with were
destroyed in the cataclysm.
Although there are higher-ranking Agents left in Nil, Metasanduro was the only one with the will to
try to piece together some semblance of order from the wreckage left behind by the invading
armies. When she stepped forward to take leadership of the reconstruction efforts, none
challenged her. The task was so large and so impossible that the other agents were relieved to
have someone who would lead willingly.
For Metasanduro’s part, she throws herself into the work of rebuilding because it is all she has
left. Her single-minded devotion to the restoration of her home is all-consuming. She may not beable to replace the people that she has lost, but she is determined not to let the beauty of the
home she loved be lost forever.
Black Glove Mol, Commander of the Desecrated Land Samurai Corps
The irony of the Black Glove’s service to the Priesthood is something he considers daily. While
he was not part of the invading force that laid siege to Dangoro’s capital, his previous service
was with Jahga’s armies in the outlying provinces of old Dangoro as they scouted the land and
sought to uproot Imperial invasion forces. After the destruction of the capital, the order came to
withdraw and Black Glove and many of his fellow samurai who had signed on as contract
soldiers found themselves released from service and abandoned in a country that was rapidlydescending into anarchy.
Shortly thereafter, when Metasanduro put out the call for samurai to form a new corps that would
deal with the increasing lawlessness, Mol the Black Glove responded eagerly. The opportunity to
serve honorably was a welcome one - the idea of becoming a ronin or, worse, a bandit, was an
unappealing one. Much to his surprise, he found himself appointed commander of the newly
formed corps - a group of samurai that has grown slowly as ronin from other lands have come in
hopes of earning a permanent place in service to the shrines of Nil.
The Black Glove has made a point never to discuss his past, lest his new employers in the
Priesthood decide to take a sudden interest in avenging themselves upon him for his part in thedestruction of their home. In fact, many know him only by his title of Black Glove, and not his
name.
melis, Leader of the Kugutsu Refugees
While it wasn’t melis’s idea to escape enforced servitude by fleeing to the Desecrated Lands,
without his instigation it never would have become a reality. It was melis who spread the word
among many of the kugutsu employed by Senators and the Jahga Republic elite of their goal of
creating a refuge where kugutsu could be free. With the help of a few well-placed Oni allies,
Empress-escort Dahj-en most notably, he was able to orchestrate the escape of himself and
twelve companions across the border into Nil.
Since that initial escape, the community of kugutsu refugees who now call the DesecratedLands home has grown from a mere handful to several hundred. The newest arrivals especially
regard melis with awe, and daily the pressure grows on him to take up a leadership role over the
other refugees.
So far, however, melis has resisted - insisting that the refugees remain in small separate
enclaves with separate leadership. He never wanted to be a leader for his people, he simply
wanted to live in freedom and has been unprepared for the reverence that many of the newest
refugees seem to hold for him.
There is also the matter of the Priesthood. The last thing melis wants is to be seen as
challenging the authority of the Priesthood to rule affairs in Nil. He is all too aware how vulnerable
the position of the refugees is to risk having the refugees lose their freedom should bad luckbefall him.
(NAMING SCHEMA
* Asumi (安曇帝國) has sort of an Ancient Japanese sort of flavor, where in my head all the
names are in complex kanji.
* Jahga（ジャーガ啓蒙人共和国）is sort of katakana/bastardized "japanese" but with
influences from the Oni language.
* Rinden（リンデン王国）has a very simple language with no need for complexity so its sort of
"anglicized" (of course not in their world, but the flavor in my head is) with few people with long
names.
* Horom（ホロム交易民族国家）, as they are a trading state, are sort of mixed fromeverywhere so its a grab bag.
* Dangoro/Nil（不毛の地ゼツム）is largely uninhabited. Most people have adopted the naming
schema of one of the surrounding lands.
* The priesthood has 1 word, complicated names, and the Abbess just has a sort of short name
with an 'esoteric meaning' (her Buddhist name means "The Sound of Light").
* Military leaders (samurai leaders, etc) are referred to more by their position/station name than
their real name.
* Known Kugutsu names are almost always short and lower-cased; often flowery sounding, or
actually based on words that appear in nature.
* The Oni language (for the purposes of this setting) has lots of long vowels and Js in the Ruined
